Best Earthly Time

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints has been long restored. But what if no Relief Society has been organized? Could the church function and enjoy the love among members without the undying service of the sisters? One new member I met said, " My wife is a member of this church and I was not interested in joining her until I experienced the work they do. When I got sicked, sisters of the church kept coming to visit me with food and even helping my wife with chores. So I started to ask myself ...What on earth are these people doing for helping us at no cost? That was when I investigated and found what I was looking for, I'm so happy to be a member of this true church." How my heart rejoiced in knowing that the services we do in the Relief Society can also prepare the non members to listen and accept the Gospel Of Jesus Christ. I, together with my family belong to a ward where there are different cultures and nationalities. But it is never a challenge communing with them, specially during the time spent on Relief Society. We always begin the meeting singing the hymn " Love One Another ". I love that short hymn, for it invites the Spirit and prepares our hearts as we listen and discuss the lesson for that Sabbath day. I can play that hymn on the piano slowly, while pondering some of my favorite scriptures or play it faster while my adrenaline pumps up to the tempo digesting each word of the hymn. As part of our work on this organization is the Visiting Teaching we do monthly to our sisters. We visit them to know their needs, to be of more help to ease their hardships and burdens. As I am planning to visit some sisters this month, I can't help but be grateful of Heavenly Father for inspiring the Prophet Joseph Smith in organizing us, LDS sisters. The Relief Society was formally organized by the Prophet on March 17, 1842. The Prophet then said " The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized."

Friday, February 4, 2011

Everytime we talk about retirement at work, someone says " I will settle in the Carribeans ", and another would say " I will go to exotic places I've never been ", and more thoughts and plans will arise. I sit there smiling,my thoughts are travelling back to the best earthly time I had spent...Serving a Full Time Mission. I was about more than a year old convert in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints and a 23-year old woman when I was called by the Prophet, Pres. Ezra Taft Benson to serve a full time mission in the Philippines Davao Mission. As a new convert, the burning desire to serve a mission was in my bossom everyday while waiting for my employment abroad. It was a time to choose between temporal progress and spiritual service. I tried to keep my desire until I could not deny the Holy Ghost testifying to me that the Lord was expecting for my decision. I went to get my Patriarchal Blessing and there, Heavenly Father revealed His blessings and expectations of me to share my knowledge and even talents to those who will accept Him. It was the best calling I had, it was the best time of my life. I witnessed how the harvest in the field is being accomplished as described in D&C 4:4. I have witnessed how the Gospel of the Lord has changed men,making them good or better. I have witnessed how I became stronger in testimony by being the witness of the restored Gospel of Christ,the restored true church on earth. I have witnessed the pure love of Christ in sending missionaries to places that only brave men would traverse. Because without fear, LDS missionaries lift their voices in sharing the secret towards home...towards eternity where Heavenly Father is. The secret that only a true Prophet of God knows,next to Him on earth. Now that I am what they call middle aged woman, that desire of serving a mission is here again. So if they will ask me my plan of retirement from work...this is my answer, together with my Eternal Companion (husband), it is our desire to serve as couple missionaries in a few years time. D&C 4:3 qualifies us on this goal " Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work". The work that will save the souls of men.